Vishwa Samvad Kendra (Media Centre), Chennai (vskch.2009@gmail.com)

PANCHAAMRITAM 179

Pancha is five in Samskritam, Amritam is nectar

Poornima, Kali Yugaabda 5111, VIRODHI Thay 16 (January 29, 2010)

ONE

"During the Second World War, in 1942, nearly 1,200 Polish men and women escaped from Europe and came to India. At that time, British government refused to keep them as refugees. But they were taken by the Maharaja of Bhav Nagar (Gujarat) and were looked after for three years till the war came to an end. That is called India's civilization. So, we consider we are very fortunate that we have taken birth in this holy land. India is the only country in the world where Jews are living for the last two thousand years without facing anti-Semiticism". (That was Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, India's most popular Jewish leader at the launch of Global Foundation For Civilizational Harmony at Delhi on January 22, 2008. Malekar is the Rabbi of Judah Hyam Synagogue, Delhi). Shri. K. Suryanarayana Rao, a senior RSS Pracharak, recalls how years ago the Mumbai-based Israeli Consulate General's office came out with a publication that gratefully recorded that Bharat is the only land where Jews lived peacefully thanks to the Hindu nation's inclusive ethos. Team PANCHAAMRITAM

TWO

A sculptor in the south Indian state of Tamilnadu has created a traditional wind instrument (nadhaswaram) for the first time in stone. The nadhaswaram is one of the most popular traditional Tamil instruments and is usually made of wood. Sculptor Shri Chinnakkannu used a single piece of hard black granite to make the instrument which is more than two feet in length. Musicians say that they are amazed at how well it plays. It took three months of hard labour .

Based on a report by Shri P. Sivaramakrishnan (http://news.bbc.co.uk), 15 January 2010.

THREE

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is the world's largest, with its student base extending to three million, UNESCO has said. UNESCO Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, during her first official visit to India as Director-General of UNESCO, delivered the IGNOU Silver Jubilee lecture on "Building inclusive knowledge societies in a globalized world". Ms Bokova's visit to India has drawn attention to IGNOU, the largest university in the world, as well as to distance education in general. Almost three million students in India and 33 other countries study at IGNOU which is also India's National Resource Centre for Open and Distance Learning and a world leader in distance education. Through its 21 schools of study, 59 regional centres, 2,300 learner support centres and some 52 overseas centres, the university offers 175 certificate, diploma, degree and doctoral programs, comprising around 1,500 courses. IGNOU's staff consist of 380 faculty members and academic staff in headquarters and regional centres while some 36,000 counsellors from conventional institutions of higher learning and professionals from different spheres. With the launch of EduSat (a satellite dedicated only to education) in 2004, and the establishment of the Inter-University Consortium, IGNOU has ushered in a new era of technology-enabled education.

From www.indiaedunews.net , January 18, 2010 .

FOUR

Archaeologists in Indonesia have uncovered a 1,000-year-old temple that could shed light on the country's Hindu past. The temple was found on the grounds of Yogyakarta's Islamic University as workers probed the ground to lay foundations for a new library, and they realised the earth beneath their feet was not stable Digging soon revealed an extraordinary find: three metres underground were still-standing temple walls. Heavy rains then exposed the top of a statue of the god Ganesha in pristine condition. A few weeks into the excavation, archaeologists are declaring the temple and its rare and beautiful statues an important discovery that could provide insights into Indonesia's pre-Islamic culture A volcanic eruption is thought most likely to have covered the temple around the 10th century, about 100 years after it was built. The eruption preserved its statues and reliefs in better condition than almost everything else discovered in Indonesia from that period, including the Borobodur and Prambanan temple complexes. The library that was destined for the site will be redesigned to incorporate the Hindu temple. From http://www.abc.net.au , January 15, 2010

.FIVE

Each of the 50 plus saplings girding the Luz Garden Enclave (the High Income Group flats behind Navashakti Vinayaka temple) in Myalpore , Chennai (Tamilnadu, Bharat) promptly receive a bottle of water every morning, thanks to the thoughtful school going kids of the Enclave. As part of New Year celebrations, instead of dinner and dance, the children of this community planted saplings of various trees. The Owners' Association president Dr. A.M. Jayaraman led the activity. Association auditor Shri Raman, impressed with this campaign, announced a gift of Rs, 250 to each of four well-maintained saplings to be given at the end of the year to the child who planted it.

From MYLAPORE TIMES, January 9-15, 2010

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